Scientists engineer a plant to produce five psychedelic compounds at once

Israeli researchers engineered Nicotiana benthamiana to produce five psychedelic tryptamines at once.

They combined genes from Psychotria, Acacia, Psilocybe mushrooms, Bufo toads, rice and Arabidopsis into one plant.

The modified plants yielded DMT, psilocin, psilocybin, bufotenin and 5‑MeO‑DMT, though some compounds accumulated at lower levels.

Researchers say pathway competition affected yields but further optimization could improve production.